1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photographic paper accommodating apparatus for advancing forward a continuous photographic paper having been subjected to printing to a subsequent step in which the paper is processed by, for example, a developing machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One type of photographic printer is arranged such that a developing machine is dispposed on the downstream side of a printing section where the image of a negative film is printed on a photographic paper by light exposure, so as to continuously develop the exposed photographic paper. This type of photographic printer needs a photographic paper accommodating apparatus between the printing section and the developing machine for the purpose of absorbing a difference between the photographic paper feed rate at the printing section and that at the developing machine.
In one type of conventional photographic paper accommodating apparatus, the portion of the continuous photographic paper delivered thereto at a relatively high feed rate from the printing section is temporarily accommodated in the form of a loop, thereby allowing absorption of the feed rate difference between the printing section and the developing machine where the photographic paper is processed at relatively low speed.
In this type of accommodting apparatus, when the exposure operation at the printing section is to be temporarily suspended, the intermediate portion of the continuous photographic paper is cut by means of a cutter disposed between the accommodating apparatus and the developing machine, thereby allowing the portion of the photographic paper in the developing machine to move freely. In this way, it is possible when resuming the exposure operation at the printing section to immediately start the operation, and the portion of the photographic paper already accommodated in the form of a loop can be successively advanced to the developing machine. The accommodating apparatus has another cutter disposed between the apparatus and the printing section, so that when the printing operation is to be finished, the intermediate portion of the photographic paper is cut by this cutter, thereby allowing all of the exposed portion of the photographic paper to be developed without wastefully developing any portion of the photographic paper which need not be developed.
Accordingly, this type of conventional photographic paper accommodating apparatus needs two cutters respectively disposed between the apparatus and the developing machine and between the apparatus and the printing section, which means that the maintenance of the apparatus is complicated.
Further, when the photographic paper is cut by the cutter disposed between the printing section and the accommodating apparatus for the purpose of finishing the exposure operation at the printing section, it is not possible to immediately resume the operation when required for any rason, since the photographic paper cannot be advanced to the accommodating apparatus until all the portion of the paper accommodated in the looping area of the apparatus has been fed to the developing machine.